Photographer's Note

This is the qubba of the mosque, and normally, it comprises of three elements. First, the large dome overhead creates a remarkably spacious feeling in the prayer hall. In this case, it rests atop a square clerestory placed over the central mihrab. Second, the mihrab, that indicates the direction for prayer to Mecca, is centre on the west side of the mosque. The mihrab niche and the friezes of merlons at the base of the dome are trefoil in shape. The young boy in a kurta huddling to the rear is not part of the mihrab: he just wanted to be part of the photo. Third, the mimbar to the right of the mihrab surprises as it appears to be an ad hoc combination of a set of three wooden steps covered by a rug. There may have been a shortage of funds or talent to produce and install a formal pulpit for the imam's use in prayer and sermonizing, originally and since. A curious fact about the mosque is that there is no howz or dukka for the performance of ritual ablutions - wudu. In Islam, the cleansing of body parts is as important as the cleansing of the spirit through prayer.